That day they ended many of those poore wretches, flinging some all alive
into the midle of a great fire.
They burned a frenchwoman; they pulled out
her breasts and tooke a child out of her belly, which they broyled and made
the mother eat of it; so, in short, [she] died. I was not abused all that
day till the night. They bourned the soales of my feet and leggs. A
souldier run through my foot a swoord red out of the fire, and plucked
severall of my nailes. I stayed in that maner all night. I neither wanted
in the meane while meate nor drinke. I was supplied by my mother and
sisters. My father alsoe came to see me & tould me I should have courage.
That very time there came a litle boy to gnaw with his teeth the end of my
fingers. There appears a man to cutt off my thumb, and being about it
leaves me instantly & did no harme, for which I was glad. I believe that my
father dissuaded him from it.
A while after my father was gon 3 came to the scaffold who swore they would
me a mischiefe, as I thinke, for yet he tied his leggs to mine, called for
a brand of fire, and layd it between his leggs and mine, and sings: but by
good lucke it was out on my side, and did no other effect then bourne my
skin, but bourned him to some purpos. In this posture I was to follow him,
& being not able to hould mee, draweth mee downe. One of the Company Cutt
the rope that held us with his knife, and makes mee goe up againe the
scaffold and then went their way.
There I stayed till midday alone. There comes a multitude of people who
make me come downe and led mee into a cottage where there weare a number of
sixty old men smoaking tobacco. Here they make mee sitt downe among them
and stayed about halfe an houre without that they asked who and why I was
brought thither, nor did I much care. For the great torments that I
souffred, I knew not whether I was dead or alive. And albeit I was in a
hott feavor & great pain, I rejoyced att the sight of my brother, that I
have not seene since my arrivement. He comes in very sumptuously covered
with severall necklaces of porcelaine,[Footnote: Porcelaine, the French
for wam-pum, or shell beads.] & a hattchett in his hand, satt downe by the
company and cast an eye on me now and then. Presently and comes in my
father with a new and long cover, and a new porcelaine about him, with a
hatchett in his hands, likewise satt downe with the company. He had a
calumet of red stoane in his hands, a cake [Footnote: Cake, meaning a
medicine-bag.] uppon his shoulders, that hanged downe his back, and so had
the rest of the old men.
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